Tearing down and gathering arm for coal loaders



Dec. 1924. 1,517,812

F. N. WILSON TEARING DOWN AND GATHERING ARM FOR COAL LOADERS Filed July 7. 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 2, 1924.

1,517,812 F. N. WILSON TEARING DOWN AND GATHERING ARM FOR COAL LOADERS sshexs-sne-et '2 M k F. N. WILSON TEARING DOWN AND GATHERING ARM FOR COAL LOADERS Filed July 7; 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 2, 1924.

it i a FRANK N. WILSON, 0]? ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TEARING- DOWN AND GATHERING ARM FOR COAL Loannns.

Application filed. July 7,

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK N. Wrnson, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tearing Down and Gathering Arms for Coal Loaders, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to tearing down and gathering arm for loaders, such as described in my application for Letters Patent bearing Serial Number, 530,183 now Patent 1,467 ,7 00, Sept. 11, 1923 and is a distinct and practical improvement to overcome certainpractical objections to, and defects in, the gathering arms disclosed in said application.

The object of my present invention is to provide a tearing down' and gathering arm which will have in addition to the orbital movement of the forward end of the arm, a turning movement to gradually raise the forward end of the tearing down andgathering arm after it has gathered and moved lump coal into a pile in advance of and into the path of travel of conveyor arms of a chain conveyor for moving the coal from the pile.

A further object of the invention is to provide the rear end of the tearing down and gathering arm which is preferably square in cross-section, with a quarter turn or twist for reception in a like socket or bearing to impart the turning movement to the arm, as it 15 reciprocated longitudinally.

With the above and other objects in View, as will appear hereinafter, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter more fully described and finally pointed out inthe claims hereto appended.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, NVhGI'GlI). like characters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a conveyor, track to which is applied a tearing down and gathering arm embodying my invention. The arm is shown in side elevation in its extreme extended position.

Fig. 2, is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing the arm in its rear-most position.

Fig. 3, is a plan view of the arm applied to the conveyor track showing the arm in full lines in one position and in dotted lines in three other positions.

1922. Serial N0. 573,428.

Fig. i, is a plan view of two opposed arms as they appear in connection with coal conveyor means with which the arms co-act.

Fig. 5, is an end elevation of one arm as it appears in dotted lines designated A. in

Fig. 3.

Fig. 6, is an end elevation of the arm as it appears in full lines designated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 7, is an end elevation of the arm as it appears in dotted lines designated B in Fig. 3.

Fig. 8, is an end elevation of the arm as it appears in dotted lines designated C in Fig. 3.

'Fig. 9, is a fragmentary perspective view of the gathering arm and its cooperating bearing. V

Fig. 10, is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of the gathering arm and the bearing. Referring to the drawings, the reference character 1 indicates a conveyor table plate mounted upon the rails 2 to constitute an inclined track over which coal may be conveyed or elevated for dumping into suitable vehicles positioned to the rear of the device- (not shown).

3 represents suitable chain sprockets which are fixed to the supporting shafts 4 and over which ride endless chains 5 provided with suitable coal conveying arms 6 for dragging the coal up the inclined table 1, as is manifest. Situated above and suitably spaced from the table plate 1 is a plate '2' which covers the conveyor chains 5, as shown in Figs 1 to 4, inclusive.

In carrying out the aiurof my presenl in vention, ll suitably fix a suitable crank h to the upper face of sprocket 3, so as to rotate therewith.

A suitable bearing 9 is pivotally supported, as at 10 upon the upper face of the crank plate 8 and a suitable distance to the rear of said bearing 9, a second bearing designated 11, is pivotally supported, as at 12. upon the upper face of the chain cover plate 7.

13 indicates a tearing down and gathering arm, preferably square in cross-section, although not necessarily so, which is provided near its forward end with a tubular wrist 14 journaled in the crank plate bearing 9, so as to permit of turning movement of the arm 13.

The rear end of the arm 13 is square in cross-section and twisted or turned a quart terturn or the like designated 14' and this end is receivable in a square opening 15 of the rear bearing 11, as more clearly shown in Fig. 9 of the drawing for imparting a turning or partial rotary movement to the arm 13 asit reciproeate's or moves longitudinally through the bearing 11.

In Fig. 10 is shown a modified arrangement for imparting to the gathering arm partial rotation movement. The general construction of the gathering arm is the same as before described but the rear end 13 of the arm 13, instead of being square in cross section and twisted as shown. is of circular cross section and is provided with a longitudinal cam groove 14. Also, the rear bearing 11 has acircular opening 15 which receives the rear end 13 of the gathering arm. The bearing 11 is provided with a lug 16 which cooperates with the cam groove 14: to produce the desired partial rotative movement of the gathering arm 13.

The forward end of the tearing down and gathering arm 13 is bent outwardly a short distance as at 16, then extended forwardly and parallel but in advance of the arm 13 proper, as at 17, and then the forward end 17 of the arm is curved inwardly, as at 18 to form a pick point, or finger. The forward end of the arm 13 is substantially shallow U-shaped so as to grasp and move to a central point a quantity of lump coal to be carried away 7 a suitable discharge point where the coal will be received. by a suitable vehicle or dumped into a pile from an elevated position.

The movement of travel of the tearing down and gathering arms is an essential feature of this invention, which, of course is due entirely to the structure of the arm and its associated parts, as is apparent from the drawings. The function of the arms 13 is to first tear down the coal, if necessary, in-

its forward movement in a fixed orbital path, then gathering and moving the coal from two sides to a central location in a pile to be removed by the arms of endless conveyor chains working in unison. The forward curved ends of the arms 13, it is manifest from Fig. 3, first move continuously in an arcuate path from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 3 to the position shown in dotted lines designated A, then to the position shown in dotted lines B, then position shown in dotted lines designated 0 and finally back to the position shown. in full lines which completes the movement of the forward end of the arms in their orbital path, which movement is due to the arm being connected to the crank plate near its forward end and guided at its rear end by the bearing 11.

The position of the forward end of the arm 13 is upright when in its rearmost posiby moving conveyor arms to tion, as shown in full lines in F i 3 and in Fig. 6. When in the position s lOWll in dotted lines A in Fig. 1, the arm 13 is slightly turned at an angle as more clearly shown in Fig. 5. When in the position shown in dotted lines B in Fig. 3, the arm 13 is flat or in a horizontal position as more clearly shown in Fig. 7, and, when in the position as shown in dotted lines C in Fig. 3, the arm is turned again to an angle, as more clearly shown in Fig. 8. The turning movements of each arm in the preferred form ofthe invention, is imparted through the twisted rear end of the arm reciprocating longitudinally in the square opening of the rear bearing 11, and in the modified form of the invention through the cam action between the lug l6 and the cooperating groove 14* in the rear end 13 of the gathering arm.

From the dotted lines D shown in Fig. 3, it is evident that the forward end of the arm travels in an elliptical orbital path and dur ing the greater part ofits travel, say three fourths thereof, the arm is also partially rotatingin its supporting bearing, due to the twisted rear end of the arm longitudinally reciprocating within bearin 11.

While I have shown and described the preferred forms embodying my invention including two arrangements for producing partial rotation movement of the gathering arm, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes in the construction may be made without departing from the invention within the S00 e of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a loading machine, a gathering arm, means to impart to said arm an orbital movement and means to simultaneously im-- part to said arm a partial rotative movement.

2. In a loading machine, an endless conveyor, gathering arms cooperating with the endless conveyor, means for moving each of said gathering arms in a fixed orbital path, and means for partially rotating said gathering arms by and upon said firstnamed movement thereof.

3. In a loading machine, an endless conveyor provided with conveying arms, gathering arms cooperating with the conveying arms, means for moving said gatheringarms in fixed orbital paths, and automatic means for partially rotating said gathering arms by and upon said firstnamed movement thereof.

4. In a machine of the class described, an endless conveyor provided with rotating disks, crank arms pivoted eocentricallv in said disks, gathering arms journalled in the crank arms and means to effect turning movement of the gathering arms.

5. In a machine of the class described,

an endless conveyor provided with rotating disks, crank arms pivoted eccentrically in said disks, pivoted guide members, tearing down and gathering arms having their forward ends journalled in said crank arms, and their rear ends movable in said pivoted guide members andvmeans to effect turning movement of the tearing down and gathering arms.

6.. In a coal loading machine, a pair of opposed gathering arms, means to move said arms toward each other so as to gather the coal between the arms and to move same into a pile, and means to automatically raise the arms up from the coal pile subsequent to the said gathering movement thereof.

7'. In a coal loading machine, a gathering arm, means to pivotally mount said arm, means to oscillate the arm about the pivotal means, and means for automatically turning the arm by and upon oscillation thereof.

8. In a coal loading machine, a gathering arm having a cylindrical wrist and a twisted portion, a pivoted bearing receiving the twisted portion and formed to rotate the arm upon longitudinal movement of the latter through the bearing, a crank, and a second bearing pivoted to the crank and rotatably receiving said wrist whereby to oscillate the arm and to longitudinally move same through the first bearing to cause the latter to effect simultaneous rotary movement of the arm.

9. In a coal loading machine, a gathering arm, means to rotatably mount said arm adjacent its forward end, means to slidably and rotatably mount the rear end of the arm, means to oscillate said first named mounting means and thereby eliect longitudinal sliding of the rod, and means to effect rotation of the arm by and upon slid- 4 ing arm, means adjacent to the outer end of the arm to oscillate and simultaneously efl'ect longitudinal movement of the arm, means for mounting the inner end of the arm to permit of longitudinal movement thereof, and means whereby to automatically impart turning movement to the arm upon said longitudinal movement thereof.

In testimony whereof,'I have hereunto signed my name to the s ecification.

FRA K N. WILSON? by and upon 

